Read this: "Rani went to school. Rani opened Rani's bag. Rani took out Rani's book." Does that sound strange? It does! We keep saying "Rani" again and again.
Now read this: "Rani went to school. She opened her bag. She took out her book." That sounds much better!
The word she is used in place of Rani. Words like she, he, it, and they are called pronouns. Let us learn about them!
A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun. We use pronouns so that we do not repeat the same noun again and again.
The most common pronouns are: I, you, he, she, it, we, they.
Think about it: Without pronouns, we would have to say the same name over and over. Pronouns make our language smooth and easy!
| Pronoun | Used For | Example |
|---|---|---|
| I | When you talk about yourself | I like to read books. |
| You | When you talk to someone | You are my best friend. |
| He | For one boy or man | Ravi is kind. He helps everyone. |
| She | For one girl or woman | Priya sings well. She sings every day. |
| It | For one animal or thing | The book is new. It has nice pictures. |
| We | For yourself and others together | We play together after school. |
| They | For more than one person, animal, or thing | The birds fly high. They are beautiful. |
Look at how we replace nouns with the right pronoun:
"Amit is playing." becomes "He is playing." (Amit is a boy, so we use he.)
"Sita reads a book." becomes "She reads a book." (Sita is a girl, so we use she.)
"The dog is barking." becomes "It is barking." (Dog is an animal, so we use it.)
"Ravi and Meena are friends." becomes "They are friends." (More than one person, so we use they.)
Remember: He = one boy or man. She = one girl or woman. It = one animal or thing. They = more than one.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Pronoun | A word used in place of a noun |
| Noun | A naming word (person, place, animal, thing) |
| Replace | To use one word in place of another |
"Mother cooks food. She makes tasty dal." Here, she is used in place of Mother.
"Arjun and Kavita sit together. They are good friends." Here, they replaces Arjun and Kavita.
"The parrot is green. It can talk." Here, it is used in place of the parrot.
A. Fill in the Blanks with the Correct Pronoun
B. Multiple Choice Questions
C. Short Answer Questions
Pronoun Match: Write the names of five people, animals, or things you know. Then write the pronoun you would use for each one.
| Noun (Name) | Pronoun (He / She / It / They) |
|---|---|
| 1. My mother -- | |
| 2. My father -- | |
| 3. My pet / favourite animal -- | |
| 4. My friends -- | |
| 5. My school bag -- |